The Story of CyberKnife and the Doctor Who Invented It

Dr. John Adler of Stanford Hospital & Clinics at the Stanford University Medical Center was kind enough to answer a few questions about the CyberKnife. 
 
To read more about Dr. Adler, click on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R_Adler

Following are our questions and his answers:

How did the idea of the CyberKnife come about?

Please see my essay posted at:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2657/Accuray-Inc-A-Neurosurgical-Business-Case-Study

How was the name “CyberKnife” chosen?

I named the device. My surgical background was obviously key. However, the name was intended to emphasize the fact that the goal of CK treatment was much like traditional surgery, to destroy or remove bad tissue.

What obstacles did you have to overcome in order to create the CyberKnife?

Many….see my essay first. Even this story understates the resistance I have and continue to encounter.

What do you envision the CyberKnife being used for in the near future?

It is conceivable that the CyberKnife can be used to replace any operation whose intent is to destroy a defined area of pathologic tissue. Importantly, this needn’t be just for destroying cancers.

Do you feel that CyberKnife will eventually replace photon radiation as a follow-up treatment where surgery could not remove all of the cancer?

Yes, but only if the targeted region can be visualized as a separate volume from the adjacent normal tissue.

What are the improvements of the CyberKnife G4 over the G3?

More beams from a wider array of directions makes for a slightly tighter distribution of radiation and less radiation hitting normal tissues. Higher radiation output makes for slightly faster treatment times. It also looks cooler/sleeker!!

What else would you like to tell us about yourself and about CyberKnife?

It has been my life’s work but realizing this dream has been anything but easy. I would definitely be a better surfer if I had chosen to pursue something different.

Good luck…..John Adler